Director, Drama Resource
Theatre director David Farmer inspires, motivates and teaches about the power of drama to transform learning. Producer of plays and workshops worldwide, he’s an in-demand speaker, trainer and author.
Count To 20
One of the simplest, yet most challenging drama games where the group tries to count to twenty.
Daft Definitions
Put random words together to invent new concepts! Great storytelling warm-up.
Drama Games for Language Teaching (teenage to adult)
14 easy to use drama games and activities suitable for a range of ages and language levels.
Drama Games for Story Books
Two activities for exploring story books through drama
Family Portraits – Online/Socially Distanced
Groups have just a few seconds to make comical family tableaux.
Fruit Salad
A game of quick reactions and verbal dexterity
Grandma’s Footsteps
Perfect game for exploring dramatic tension.
Groovy Image Factory
Quickly generate repeating actions and sounds or words
Guess The Pet
A variation on the Mirror Game for younger students
Guess Who I Am (inc Online Version)
A fun way of creating characters from any picture.
Imaginarium
An exciting and completely unpredictable way to quickly develop a scene
Night Watchman
The museum is closed for the night. The watchman is making his rounds. But something strange is going on...
Open and Close
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other and let others
Pecking Order
Can you work out where you stand in the pecking order?
Podcasts and Webinars with David Farmer
Podcasts and Webinars about drama teaching featuring David Farmer
Poetry in Motion
Poetry can be explored and presented effectively through drama and movement
Random Sound Stories
A story is told by the group or in pairs, with each person adding one word at a time.
Sculptor and Statue
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other and let others
Shoe Shuffle
Develop imagination and mime skills using everyday objects
Siren (Voice Warm-Up)
An effective and easy humming warm up for exploring and extending the vocal range.
Soundscapes
The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.
Sources of Light
Teaching science through drama - explore objects that make or reflect light
Status Pictures
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other.
Story Orchestra
The group tells a story, with a conductor guiding the narrative
Ten Second Objects
Small groups make the shape of an object using their bodies - in only ten seconds!
Three Changes
An observation and getting to know you game - with online version
Three Word Sentences
Sometimes three words are just enough.
Two Truths And A Lie
Play online or live - tell your partner three things about yourself – two of which are true and one
What Are Drama Games?
Children's natural tendency towards make-believe play can be utilised at school through structured play and drama.
Where Do You Stand? (inc Online Version)
A fast and effective way of discovering everybody’s opinions about a subject - online or offline.
Count To 20
One of the simplest, yet most challenging drama games where the group tries to count to twenty.
Daft Definitions
Put random words together to invent new concepts! Great storytelling warm-up.
Drama Games for Language Teaching (teenage to adult)
14 easy to use drama games and activities suitable for a range of ages and language levels.
Drama Games for Story Books
Two activities for exploring story books through drama
Family Portraits – Online/Socially Distanced
Groups have just a few seconds to make comical family tableaux.
Fruit Salad
A game of quick reactions and verbal dexterity
Grandma’s Footsteps
Perfect game for exploring dramatic tension.
Groovy Image Factory
Quickly generate repeating actions and sounds or words
Guess The Pet
A variation on the Mirror Game for younger students
Guess Who I Am (inc Online Version)
A fun way of creating characters from any picture.
Imaginarium
An exciting and completely unpredictable way to quickly develop a scene
Night Watchman
The museum is closed for the night. The watchman is making his rounds. But something strange is going on...
Open and Close
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other and let others
Pecking Order
Can you work out where you stand in the pecking order?
Podcasts and Webinars with David Farmer
Podcasts and Webinars about drama teaching featuring David Farmer
Poetry in Motion
Poetry can be explored and presented effectively through drama and movement
Random Sound Stories
A story is told by the group or in pairs, with each person adding one word at a time.
Sculptor and Statue
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other and let others
Shoe Shuffle
Develop imagination and mime skills using everyday objects
Siren (Voice Warm-Up)
An effective and easy humming warm up for exploring and extending the vocal range.
Soundscapes
The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.
Sources of Light
Teaching science through drama - explore objects that make or reflect light
Status Pictures
In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other.
Story Orchestra
The group tells a story, with a conductor guiding the narrative
Ten Second Objects
Small groups make the shape of an object using their bodies - in only ten seconds!
Three Changes
An observation and getting to know you game - with online version
Three Word Sentences
Sometimes three words are just enough.
Two Truths And A Lie
Play online or live - tell your partner three things about yourself – two of which are true and one
What Are Drama Games?
Children's natural tendency towards make-believe play can be utilised at school through structured play and drama.
Where Do You Stand? (inc Online Version)
A fast and effective way of discovering everybody’s opinions about a subject - online or offline.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (5-11 years)
Drama activities based on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, including a live performance of the story of Titania and Oberon
Cinderella – Listen To Me – Restorative Justice (5-11 years)
Explore bullying issues through the story of Cinderella using drama, writing and restorative justice techniques
Commedia dell’arte Drama Unit
Commedia dell’arte began in the marketplaces of 16th-century Europe as improvised theatre which was rude, funny and satirical.
Drama Games for Language Teaching (teenage to adult)
14 easy to use drama games and activities suitable for a range of ages and language levels.
Funnybones Drama and Dance Unit (5-7 years)
Practical and funny drama and dance activities linked to this evergreen story (5-7 years)
Guide to Freeze-Frames and Still Images
Ideas about using freeze-frames in drama, including 50+ ways to use them across the curriculum and a checklist for grading.
Introducing Augusto Boal (12 years to adult)
3 full-length practical sessions introducing the work of the revolutionary Brazilian theatre maker.
The Gruffalo Drama Activities (4-7 years)
Explore familiar themes and characters through improvisation and role play.
The King’s Sentence – a world without words
Lesson plan and original story for KS2 exploring non-verbal communication through gesture and sign language.
The Musicians of Bremen Script
Sparkling play script of the Brothers Grimm tale for performance in schools
The Refugee Cat Drama Unit (5-11 years)
The incredible real-life story of a refugee family and their cat told through storytelling, discussion and drama activities.
The Tiger Child Drama Unit (4-7 years)
A range of drama and storytelling activities based on a traditional Indian folk-tale for KS1 and reception.
World War Two Evacuees Drama Unit (7-11 years)
Explore the experience of World War Two evacuees using media, drama strategies and a fictional story.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (5-11 years)
Drama activities based on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, including a live performance of the story of Titania and Oberon
Cinderella – Listen To Me – Restorative Justice (5-11 years)
Explore bullying issues through the story of Cinderella using drama, writing and restorative justice techniques
Commedia dell’arte Drama Unit
Commedia dell’arte began in the marketplaces of 16th-century Europe as improvised theatre which was rude, funny and satirical.
Drama Games for Language Teaching (teenage to adult)
14 easy to use drama games and activities suitable for a range of ages and language levels.
Funnybones Drama and Dance Unit (5-7 years)
Practical and funny drama and dance activities linked to this evergreen story (5-7 years)
Guide to Freeze-Frames and Still Images
Ideas about using freeze-frames in drama, including 50+ ways to use them across the curriculum and a checklist for grading.
Introducing Augusto Boal (12 years to adult)
3 full-length practical sessions introducing the work of the revolutionary Brazilian theatre maker.
The Gruffalo Drama Activities (4-7 years)
Explore familiar themes and characters through improvisation and role play.
The King’s Sentence – a world without words
Lesson plan and original story for KS2 exploring non-verbal communication through gesture and sign language.
The Musicians of Bremen Script
Sparkling play script of the Brothers Grimm tale for performance in schools
The Refugee Cat Drama Unit (5-11 years)
The incredible real-life story of a refugee family and their cat told through storytelling, discussion and drama activities.
The Tiger Child Drama Unit (4-7 years)
A range of drama and storytelling activities based on a traditional Indian folk-tale for KS1 and reception.
World War Two Evacuees Drama Unit (7-11 years)
Explore the experience of World War Two evacuees using media, drama strategies and a fictional story.
3D Living Pictures
Bring pictures to life through freeze frames, thought tracking and improvisation.
Action Clip
Action Clip is a quick way to bring a freeze frame to life – with no preparation!
Conscience Alley
One person walks down an alleyway made by the group and listens to thoughts or advice.
Cross-Cutting
What is Cross Cutting? The dramatic action switches quickly between two scenes in the same space. Cross-cutting (also called split-screen)
Developing Freeze Frames
Exciting ways to use freeze frames across the curriculum and in performance.
Flashbacks and Flash Forwards
What are Flashbacks and Flash Forwards? Expand on a freeze-frame to create the before and after. Performers in a scene
Forum Theatre
Why use it? The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, putting them on an equal footing. It
Freeze Frames
Freeze frames (also known as still images and tableaux) are a fast and effective method to use with any age.
Hot Seating
A character is questioned by the group about his or her background, behaviour and motivation.
Hot Spotting
An amazingly fun and easy way to mix up hot-seating and freeze frames to develop characters
Image Theatre
Image Theatre is the use of still images (freeze-frames) to explore abstract concepts such as relationships and emotions, as well
Mantle of the Expert
Mantle of the Expert involves the creation of a fictional world where students assume the roles of experts in a
Marking the Moment
Marking the Moment is a dramatic technique used to highlight a key moment in a scene or improvisation. This can
Role on the Wall
Role on the wall is a collaborative activity for developing thoughts and ideas about a character.
Soundscapes
The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.
Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the simplest and perhaps most compelling forms of dramatic and imaginative activity. A good place to
Teacher in Role
Teacher in role (TiR) is an invaluable technique for shaping the dramatic process and developing students’ learning. Simply put, the
Thought Tracking
Characters in a freeze-frame speak their thoughts and feelings aloud.
Whoosh! Bringing Stories Alive through Drama
An interactive technique in which participants become characters and objects in a story as it is told.
3D Living Pictures
Bring pictures to life through freeze frames, thought tracking and improvisation.
Action Clip
Action Clip is a quick way to bring a freeze frame to life – with no preparation!
Conscience Alley
One person walks down an alleyway made by the group and listens to thoughts or advice.
Cross-Cutting
What is Cross Cutting? The dramatic action switches quickly between two scenes in the same space. Cross-cutting (also called split-screen)
Developing Freeze Frames
Exciting ways to use freeze frames across the curriculum and in performance.
Flashbacks and Flash Forwards
What are Flashbacks and Flash Forwards? Expand on a freeze-frame to create the before and after. Performers in a scene
Forum Theatre
Why use it? The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, putting them on an equal footing. It
Freeze Frames
Freeze frames (also known as still images and tableaux) are a fast and effective method to use with any age.
Hot Seating
A character is questioned by the group about his or her background, behaviour and motivation.
Hot Spotting
An amazingly fun and easy way to mix up hot-seating and freeze frames to develop characters
Image Theatre
Image Theatre is the use of still images (freeze-frames) to explore abstract concepts such as relationships and emotions, as well
Mantle of the Expert
Mantle of the Expert involves the creation of a fictional world where students assume the roles of experts in a
Marking the Moment
Marking the Moment is a dramatic technique used to highlight a key moment in a scene or improvisation. This can
Role on the Wall
Role on the wall is a collaborative activity for developing thoughts and ideas about a character.
Soundscapes
The group is conducted to create a sound picture or “soundscape” using their voices and bodies.
Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the simplest and perhaps most compelling forms of dramatic and imaginative activity. A good place to
Teacher in Role
Teacher in role (TiR) is an invaluable technique for shaping the dramatic process and developing students’ learning. Simply put, the
Thought Tracking
Characters in a freeze-frame speak their thoughts and feelings aloud.
Whoosh! Bringing Stories Alive through Drama
An interactive technique in which participants become characters and objects in a story as it is told.
101 Drama Games and Activities
'Belongs amongst the top 10 books any director or drama teacher should own.' - English Touring Opera
101 MORE Drama Games and Activities
'This book cheered me up. Buy it and smile. There will be a lot of laughter in your classroom.' - Drama Magazine.
Learning Through Drama in the Primary Years
'Full of easily accessible advice... clear explanations and inventive suggestions.' - National Drama Magazine.
Playful Plays
'David Farmer has hit gold with Playful Plays... an off-the-shelf, ready-to-go, high-quality rehearsal process ideal for primary-aged students' - Drama Magazine.
Drop of a Hat
‘A flexible, varied book filled with engaging drama activities’ – Drama and Theatre magazine. Lesson plans to bring the curriculum to life through drama and creativity.
